20 March 2011

Cloudy start with very light rain but cloud coverage was very high and started too burn off as the sun came through, wind was alight southerly breeze and temp was 8c, visit from 06.20 - 09.10.

On the boating lake a single female Goosander and a male flew into the main lake later on, the usual pair of Great Crested Grebes were on the boating lake but the main lake has shot up to 9 birds from just 3 all last week, also on the main lake 34 Tufted Duck, 1 Pochard and a nice surprise was 2 Shelducks in the middle of the lake, they went onto the stone bank just by the bottom entrance to the nature reserve before being flushed by a walker and going back too the centre of the main lake were they stayed until flying of high south at 07.15, I looked along the grass verge for any Little Ringed Plover but could only see 2 Pied Wagtails as I walked down the grass bank to the lake edge I flushed a Little Ringed Plover which immediately flew off high north, this was turning into a good morning with two Westport year tick already and the 1st Little Ringed Plover of the year, 2 days later than last year. A Sparrowhawk was circling over the new housing estate and 3 Willow Tits were by the entrance to the nature reserve, with a single by the boardwalk bridge.
Along the small brook by the 1st gate to the nature reserve I flushed a pair of Teal and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming on trees by the railway line with another near the top pool, in all 4 Chiffchaffs were around the park today, mostly in various parts of the nature reserve and one on the sewage works, a Goldcrest was a nice find at the top pool and another later by the 1st gate was a bonus, 3 Bullfinches were on the top pool and a single Jay, good numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls were going through again this morning only this time they were all heading south, at least 20+ went through, back on the main lake the immature male Goldeneye is still present and a couple of 'large' Greylag Geese flew in, a pair of Mistle Thrushes were along the top of the main lake and 3 Chaffinches along the reserve side, a Grey Heron flew over, the first I've seen at Westport for ages and a Cormorant flew over north while on the gas works, also here, 2 Jackdaws, a Siskin was calling over and 5 Stock Doves along the railway line, the highest count for a while, lastly near the visitor centre, the male Shoveler flew in. All in all a good day around Westport.

My current Westport year list stands at 72.